Empowered by the Holy Spirit

But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be My witnesses both in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and even to the remotest part of the earth.
(Acts 1:8)

People were continually coming to be baptized by John the Baptizer, apparently hoping that some kind of transformation would take place in their lives and their nation. The religious leaders wanted to know if John would lay claim to being the promised one of Scripture. The people viewed John as a prophet, the first prophet to show up in a few hundred years. But it was what John kept saying about one who would come after him that did not compute with those coming to him. John said time and again that he was not the promised one, the Christ and that he only baptized with water for repentance. This one who was to come after him, that one John said would baptize people with the Holy Spirit (Matthew 3:11). He was immersing people into water as a symbolic act that aligned with their confession and repentance of the sins that directed their lives, but this one who was coming would immerse them into the Holy Spirit who had the power to bring about the transformation they really needed. It was when Jesus came to be baptized by John that he realized that this was the one whom he had been speaking of. John recognized Jesus as the one who would come after him when he saw the Spirit descending and remaining on Jesus (John 1:33; Matthew 3:16).

The empowering work of the Holy Spirit is evident throughout Jesus' public ministry. Quoting from Isaiah, he claimed that the prophecy about the Spirit being upon the Messiah was fulfilled in him (Luke 4:18). Jesus pointed to the Spirit of God as the source of his power when challenged by the religious leaders because his was casting out demons (Matthew 12:28). In his final instructions to his disciples before he ascended into heaven he said they were to wait for the promised Holy Spirit who was soon to come upon them (Acts 1:4-8). Thus, when the Holy Spirit descended upon the disciples on the day of Pentecost (Acts 2:1-4), not only was God fulfilling His promise (Acts 2:16-18), but the followers of Jesus were given the power to continue the ministry of Jesus as they proclaimed the gospel and let people know that trusting Christ includes the Spirit's empowerment (Acts 2:38-39).

A mature follower of Christ recognizes the empowering work of the Holy Spirit in Jesus Christ as well as his church through individual believers. When we consider the world's religions, one thing that stands out is that only the Christian faith reveals the person and work of the Holy Spirit. Only Christ speaks of and sends the Spirit. Only through faith in Christ can we recognize the activity of the Holy Spirit in believers' lives.

Some claiming to be Christian completely ignore the indwelling work of the Holy Spirit. Others exaggerate the Spirit's work, sometimes even attributing to the Spirit things that do not align with Scripture. It is true, the Holy Spirit is misunderstood and misrepresented by many. However, a mature Christian is one who walks in the Spirit and recognizes the fruit of the Spirit (Galatians 5:16, Galatians 5:22-25). We acknowledge that the Spirit gives gifts as he pleases for the building up of the body of Christ (I Corinthians 12:4-7). The Spirit guides us into all truth and takes what is Christ's and makes it known to us (John 16:13-14). Remove the Holy Spirit and what is left is not the Christian faith. Without the Holy Spirit at work in our life, we will not mature in Christ. The Holy Spirit's empowerment is essential to faith in Christ (Matthew 16:17). In fact, apart from the Spirit working in us, we could not even acknowledge that Jesus is Lord (I Corinthians 12:3).

Growth towards Christian maturity

Without the Holy Spirit

God's description of our condition before we come to know Christ and experience God's saving grace, is that we are dead in trespasses and sins (Ephesians 2:1). We are without life (John 5:40; John 6:53; John 11:25; John 20:31; Romans 8:2; I John 5:11), without the Holy Spirit, and do not even know that there is the Holy Spirit (John 14:16-17; Romans 8:9). We may think we are alive, because we draw breath, but the way we live says otherwise. We walk in the flesh, not being led by the Spirit (John 3:3; Romans 8:5-13; Galatians 5:16-17; Galatians 6:8). We are not able to understand spiritual things (John 1:10; I Corinthians 1:18; I Corinthians 2:12-14). We are outside the promises of God with no inheritance in the eternal kingdom of God (I Corinthians 6:9-10; Ephesians 2:12; Ephesians 5:5-6). We even reject His truthful words to us that tell us we are dead and in the need of His saving grace. We deny we are sinners bound for eternal judgment (Acts 10:42; Acts 17:31; Romans 2:16; Romans 14:10; II Corinthians 5:10). We are so deceived that we claim we are basically good, even though God has said otherwise (Psalm 14:2-3; Psalm 143:2; Ecclesiastes 7:20; Romans 3:10-23). Though we are physically alive, we are without the Holy Spirit and thus spiritually dead and headed for the second death (Revelation 2:11; Revelation 20:6-14; Revelation 21:8).

Discovering the Holy Spirit

Even though we live without an awareness of the Holy Spirit as a direct influence at this point in our life the Holy Spirit is at work behind the scenes making us aware of sin (John 16:8). While we may not recognize it or admit our sin, God is calling us to turn from our selfish ways and be reconciled to Him (II Corinthians 5:18-20). The Spirit points us towards faith in Christ whenever we encounter the truth of Christ (John 14:26). We may begin responding to the Spirit's prompts through Christ and his teachings, though we have no idea what is happening spiritually. But as the Holy Spirit enables us to understand and respond to Christ (I Corinthians 2:10; I John 4:2-3), we begin to draw near to Christ and notice things he taught regarding the Spirit. We come across that many New Testament passages that point to the Spirit. Though the Spirit is very foreign to us, He is guiding us into the truth of Christ (John 15:26), and in time we come to know and love the Holy Spirit, recognizing Him as the Spirit of God.

Born of the Holy Spirit

God's good news is centered in Christ and the sending of the Holy Spirit. Our response to this good news happens through the enabling work of the Spirit. Coming to faith in Christ involves a transitional moment. We are justified by God solely through believing the good news about Christ and in this new found faith we are born anew by the power of the Holy Spirit (I Corinthians 6:11). The new birth marks the point when the Spirit begins to dwell in us, transforming us into His temple (I Corinthians 3:16; I Corinthians 6:19). Though we may not yet recognize this truth, nevertheless the Spirit is at work in us. As we grow in our faith and knowledge of Christ, changes occur within our heart and mind. Some changes are the result of prayers for God to change us. Other changes come as we encounter God's word through Scripture, believe it, and are transformed so that we live by it. Perhaps we notice some things that used to be a problem for us are no longer an issue in our life such that we are amazed at how God is working in us. God is glorified and shown to be true through the changes happening in our lives (Romans 7:4). The fruit being borne in our life is seen in the way we love others (I Corinthians 13:1-7). Amazingly, we are finding an ability to love those we had struggled to love in the past (Luke 6:27-38). Fruit is evident as we experience joy in situations that had once frustrated us (Romans 15:13). Peace and patience are becoming evident. There is a new sense of kindness, goodness, and gentleness in the way we deal with people and approach life as a whole. Faithfulness is increasing in all areas of our life. We exercise faithfulness towards family and friends, in our work, and even towards people we do not know. We are becoming more and more trustworthy as the Spirit works in us. There is also a greater ability to exercise self-control in those areas of life where we would often fail to control ourselves. This is the Holy Spirit at work in us, even if we may not yet realize it as such. Though changes are taking place within us, it does not mean that we are always loving or joyful. These changes do not guarantee that we will always exercise self-control. But what they do reveal is that we are growing in godliness and there is evidence in our life. As we spend time in the Bible and prayer we come to understand that these changes are not our doing or by our effort, but that the Spirit of God is working in us (Ephesians 2:8-9).

Led by the Holy Spirit

Maturing in faith leads us to serve others. Jesus Christ said he came to serve, not to be served (Mark 10:45), and since Christ is our Master (Matthew 10:24-25) and since we are born of the Spirit, we too are drawn to serving others (I Corinthians 12:7). We are equipped with spiritual gifts by the Holy Spirit so that we can serve other in the church where God places us (Ephesians 4:11-13). Some of us engage in ministry that takes place behind the scenes and some serve in ways that have some visibility. Most of us do ministry on a volunteer basis, yet a few are called into a part-time or a full-time position. Ministry takes place within the church and outside it. Ultimately, our service to others is the work of the Holy Spirit in and through us for the building up the body of Christ, which is the church (Colossians 1:18; Colossians 1:24). Following the leading of the Spirit, we continue to grow and mature, recognizing that the He is working in and through us. We do not take credit ourselves because we see it is the power of God at work. The Spirit's leading produces opportunities for bearing witness about Christ (Acts 1:8). Because the Holy Spirit works in us as we yield to his power, we speak about Christ and share the gospel with others. As we are faithful in the small opportunities God gives us, He entrusts us with more, for those who are faithful with a little are faithful with much (Luke 19:15-19). The challenge in this phase of faith is to keep growing and stepping outside of our comfort zones as the Spirit leads. Becoming comfortable is a risk to our continued growth. So is focusing on ourselves rather than the Spirit. Thus, for us to grow into mature Christians we must continue to serve in the power of the Spirit and to speak of Christ without turning back (Luke 9:62). As mature Christians, we recognize the Spirit at work in and through us, which brings glory of God and blesses others. Like our Lord, we are empowered to serve.